What Can We Know About Angels?
1) Direct Answer
We can know this: angels are created, holy spirits who serve the one true God and carry His messages and works to men. They are not to be prayed to or worshiped. They minister to the heirs of salvation, protect, deliver messages, execute judgments, and will be involved in end-time gathering. Some fell with Satan and are reserved for judgment. Believers will not become angels; in Christ we are placed higher, and we shall judge angels.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Created by God, innumerable:
- Colossians 1:16; Psalm 148:2,5; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11.
- Nature and duty:
- “Ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14); “He makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7; Psalm 104:4); they “excel in strength” and “do His commandments” (Psalm 103:20).
- Not objects of worship:
- Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9; Colossians 2:18.
- Messengers and guides:
- Gabriel to Daniel (Daniel 9:21-23) and to Mary (Luke 1:26-38); an angel directed Philip (Acts 8:26), spoke to Cornelius (Acts 10:3-6), stood by Paul (Acts 27:23-24).
- Protection and deliverance:
- “The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7); “He shall give His angels charge over thee” (Psalm 91:11); Daniel 6:22; Acts 12:7-11.
- Strengthening God’s servants:
- Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43.
- Appearances:
- They may appear as men (Genesis 18–19; Judges 13); “some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
- Order and ranks:
- Michael the archangel (Jude 9; Revelation 12:7); “principalities and powers” (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 3:10).
- The Angel of the LORD:
- Speaks as God and bears His Name (Exodus 3:2-6; Exodus 23:20-21; Judges 13:18-22). God revealing Himself by a messenger form.
- What they know and don’t know:
- They rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10); they desire to look into the things of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:12).
- Marriage and nature:
- They “neither marry” (Matthew 22:30). Saints do not become angels but are “equal unto the angels” in not marrying and not dying (Luke 20:36).
- Fallen angels and deception:
- Satan has angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:7-9). Some angels sinned (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Satan can appear as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
- Testing any message:
- Even if an angel preached another gospel, reject it (Galatians 1:8). “Try the spirits” (1 John 4:1).
- Angels in the end time:
- They will gather the elect (Matthew 24:31) and separate (Matthew 13:39-49). The Lord descends “with the voice of the archangel” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
- Believers’ position:
- In Christ we will “judge angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3). Jesus is far above angels, and angels worship Him (Hebrews 1:4-8).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- If angels were to be worshiped, they would accept it; instead, they refuse and point us to God—so worship God alone.
- If an angel’s message ever disagrees with the written Word, it is not from God; God does not contradict Himself.
- Angels serve; the Holy Spirit leads. We pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus, and God may send angels as His servants.
- People do not become angels. Angels are one order of God’s creation; redeemed men and women are another, brought into sonship by Jesus Christ and set to judge angels.
4) Short Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, angels are real, present, and active—but always under God’s command and always in harmony with the Bible. Respect their ministry, refuse their worship, test all things by the Word, and keep your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom angels themselves adore.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
God's preparation
54-0401 §25
...o, God always sends His warning. Just the days before the coming of the Lord Jesus, God always makes a preparation, so He sends an angel. Now many people doesn't believe in angels. And I don't believe in a worship of angels, now. I'm not a Mormon and I don't believe in worshipping angels. And a true angel would not stand to be worshipped. No. The angel of God will not stand to be worshipped. He'll say worship God every time. And he'll declare Jesus Christ to be the Son of God every time. And he'll give all praise a...
Church Ages, part 3: The Ephesian Church Age
60-1205 §31
Now each one of these churches, according to the Scripture there, had an angel and the angel was a... How many knows what an angel means? It's a messenger. A messenger. And there was seven angels to the seven churches---meant seven messengers. Now, and there was stars in his hand. And in his hand these twelve ... these seven stars, that was to reflect the light of his presence in the day of night that we were living in; as the stars reflects the sun to the earth, makes it light so we can walk, and get around at nig...
Faith once delivered to the saints
57-0610 §70
Now, here's a lady, I guess I never saw her in my life. We are strangers to each other. I don't know her, and we're meeting here for the first time. The woman may be sick. Maybe it's financial troubles; maybe she wants prayer for somebody else. I have no idea what she wants. She knows that. I know it. God knows it. You know it. The Holy Spirit knows it. Angels know it. I don't know nothing about the woman. Now, what if Christ was standing here with this suit on that I got---which He won't be, because His corporal b...
The greatest battle ever fought
62-0311 §93
He anoints His servants with His Spirit; He sends them angels. People make fun of that sometimes---angels. Let me turn to something here with you just a minute. Let's turn over here to Hebrews just a minute, Hebrews the 4th chapter. Fourth chapter, and let's ... I mean the 1st chapter of Hebrews, and let's turn to the 14th verse: Are ... not all these ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? "Which one of the angels did He say, 'Sit thou on my right hand'?"---all the ang...
The Way back
62-1123 §39
...And a preacher that will stand in the pulpit, and compromise on the principles of Christ because some bunch of bishops dominate him, and tell him, 'You have to do this, or we'll put you out of fellowship,' you're a coward. Stand there! Tell the truth, no matter what the price is. Look at Stephen that morning, our little Holy Ghost brother, standing before the Sanhedrin Council. The seventh chapter of Acts said, "Ye men of Israel, you that dwell in Judaea," and so forth---how "our fathers come up out of Mesopotamia...